The Macedonian civic association Konekt has prepared an analysis of the public policies related to the environment for employment in CSOs. On 21st January, 2016, in the premises of Public Room, Skopje, the results of the analysis were publicly presented in front of more than 50 representatives of civil society. The findings will also serve to contribute to the preparation of the Monitoring Matrix report for Macedonia 2015, which will be published by MCIC. The analysis, entitled “CSOs – An Invisible Employer”, provides a review of two key aspects of civil society as an employer: 1) the legal framework in the…
Author: anja
UN Special Rapporteur Maina Kiai released his mandate’s second-ever annual report, “2015: The Year in Assembly & Association Rights.” The report tells the story of 2015 from the perspective of assembly and association rights and recaps the Special Rapporteur mandate’s work during the year. The report describes the events of 2015 as “another epic, global tug-of-war over the role that assembly and association rights play in our world today,” citing the emphatic continuation of the global trend of massive protest movements despite many governments’ attempts to shrink space for civic engagement. Maina Kiai notes that, while the year was filled with…
Although there is growing awareness in the development field of the need to better assess fragile states and customise policies to their particular needs, there has been limited progress in these areas. The new Country Fragility Assessment Framework, which systematically examines the societal and institutional sources of fragility, can help decision-makers make more precise diagnoses and better target interventions. It assesses the forces that can drive a society together or apart by analysing 12 societal and institutional sources of fragility. The combination of poor social cohesion and poor institutionalisation yields a vicious cycle as instability and underdevelopment feed each other.…
The Montenegrin CSO Coalition By Cooperation to Goal (Saradnjom do Cilja) submitted the Draft Regulations of the Criteria, Standards and Procedures for Allocation of Montenegro State Property to CSOs, both to the Montenegrin Government and the Council for the Development of CSOs. The Coalition representatives emphasized that, throughout the years, numerous CSOs have been given state property to use, with or without compensation, yet without a clear legal basis, procedural transparency, open competition, criteria and without records on CSOs using state property. For that matter, the Coalition aims to initiate the regulation of this issue in the legal framework so…
The Embassy of the Netherlands in Albania and the Albanian Institute of Science will host a #DiploHack on ‘A Voice for Civil Society – Using Open Data to Strengthen Civil Society Advocacy’. A #DiploHack combines the specific know-how and skill sets of NGOs, social entrepreneurs, tech developers and designers, and those of diplomats, journalists, academics, and businesses to ‘hack’ problems and come up with out-of-the-box solutions. Small teams comprised of a civil society representative, a diplomat and a programmer, will work together for 24 hours to find creative ways to make open data work for civil society. The team with…
The Aspen Institute Romania is currently inviting applications for its Young Leaders Program 2016. The Program will bring increased regional participation and create additional diversity and relevance. The Program main goals to promote and advance progressive leadership within society and to develop the regional network of Aspen Fellows, based on shared values and common interests. The program consists of four modules taking place in Romania. The Institute will offer accepted candidates a scholarship covering accommodation, meals, moderation and reading materials related costs, leaving participants to only cover their transportation expenses. More information is available here. Source: Aspen Institute
The Institute for Central-Eastern and Balkan Europe (IECOB) has published of the Volume ”Democracy and Human Rights in South-East Europe: Selected Comparative Studies”, authored by Jovana Škrijel, Qemal Krosi, Marjan Icovski, Rastko Antić and edited by Adriano Remiddi. The Volume, which is the result of the collaboration between IECOB and the ”European Regional Master Degree in Democracy and Human Rights in South East Europe” (University of Bologna, University of Sarajevo) , aims at representing a solid contribution of ideas and critical analyses based on a multidisciplinary and the original comparative approach. The work will be of interest to students and…
The McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State University is accepting nominations for the 2016 Brown Democracy Medal. The medal and USD 5.000 are awarded annually to bring attention to the best new work being done by individuals or organizations to advance democracy in the United States and around the globe. The Brown Medal recognizes a person or organization whose most recent work is tremendously important but under-appreciated. The medal brings new ideas and innovations the public recognition they deserve and advances their positive impact on democracy. More information is available here. Source: Funds for NGOs
This Center for Research and Policy Making (CRPM) report offers an assessment of how well state institutions in Macedonia rate with regard to accountability, and how citizens perceive the level of accountability in the institutions. The report concludes that although there is a significant advancement in terms of the transparency and openness of the central level institutions in Macedonia, the same cannot be stated for the institutional accountability as well. The study looked at the accountability practices of central government offices, the parliament, state ministries and state funds. It noted that budget transparency and accountability is one of the categories…
Each year, Rotary selects up to 100 individuals from around the world to receive fully funded academic fellowships at one of their peace centers. Fellows are selected globally every year to earn either a master’s degree or a professional development certificate in peace and conflict studies at the Rotary Peace Centers at leading universities in Australia, England, Japan, the United States, Sweden and Thailand. These fellowships cover tuition and fees, room and board, round-trip transportation, and all internship and field-study expenses. More information is available here. Source: Rotary